GARY, Indiana (United States) — Emma Alexandra Baum, a 25-year-old mother of three from Portage, Indiana, was nine months pregnant when she disappeared after being dropped off near her boyfriend’s residence in Gary on October 10, 2024. Relatives reported her missing on October 28. More than a year later, no one has been charged, and neither Emma nor her unborn child has been found.
Her case remains one of the most closely watched missing-person investigations in northwest Indiana, driven by the vulnerability of a woman who was due to give birth any day, and by a family that continues to press for answers.
What Happened and Where
Emma Baum lived in Portage, Indiana, but had traveled to Gary, Indiana, to visit her boyfriend on the day she was last seen. Both cities sit in Lake County in the state of Indiana, in the United States.
According to news reporting, she was last seen after being dropped off in the 2500 block of Connecticut Street in Gary. Other coverage places the last-seen area near the intersection of 25th Avenue and Connecticut Street. Her family says she went there to see the father of her unborn child.
The exact public time of her disappearance has not been confirmed in sourced reporting. Available coverage cites the date, October 10, 2024, but does not specify an hour.
What She Was Reportedly Doing Beforehand
Before she vanished, Emma had made the trip from Portage to Gary to visit her boyfriend, her family said. Relatives told reporters she was already dilated days earlier and was expected to give birth at any time.
Her family also said she had no working phone when she disappeared. She was supposed to activate a new phone that same day but never did. That detail has weighed heavily on relatives, who describe her total silence as completely out of character.
Timeline of Key Events
- October 10, 2024: Emma was last seen in Gary after a drop-off near 25th Avenue and Connecticut Street. She was nine months pregnant and due imminently.
- October 17, 2024: A Family Dollar store on Massachusetts Street burned in a fire that destroyed the building. (See the dedicated section below.)
- October 28, 2024: Emma’s mother reported her missing to the Gary Police Department, more than two weeks after she was last seen.
- October 29, 2024: News coverage reported that her boyfriend was jailed on unrelated matters.
The Police Investigation
Gary Police Commander Jack Hamady told Fox News Digital that officers have carried out several searches. “We have searched a house, apartment, recreational vehicles and one other property,” he said.
Police used K9 teams in several searches, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department assisted in some of them. Hamady said investigators continue to interview people who may be connected to the case.
He was clear on the case status: “We have not charged anyone with the disappearance of Emma Baum, and she has not been located yet,” he said. “We continue to search and interview individuals that are or maybe associated with this case.”
About the Boyfriend
News coverage has identified Emma’s boyfriend as Antwon Cordell Dontae Butler. He was taken into custody on unrelated matters and, according to police, has not been named a suspect in Baum’s disappearance.
Emma’s family has said his account of that day changed, and they have expressed distrust of what he told them. According to reporting, Butler told Emma’s mother that she left with a girl. These are the family’s concerns and Butler’s reported statements, not confirmed investigative findings, and he has not been charged in connection with the case.
Identifying Details
Missing-person reports and news coverage describe Emma Baum as follows:
- Age: 25 at the time of her disappearance
- Date of birth: April 22, 1999
- Height: about 5 feet 3 inches
- Weight: about 135 to 136 pounds
- Hair: brown (natural color)
- Eyes: brown
- Distinguishing features: several scars and multiple tattoos
- Other: she often wore colorful wigs and hairpieces
- Family: mother of three, and about to give birth to a fourth child
Her last-seen clothing has not been publicly confirmed in reliable reporting. Rather than guess, this article notes plainly that those details are not part of the verified public record.
Leaked Text Messages and Online Claims
A Facebook page called Missing Lost And Trafficked, which also posts as Lured Lost And Unsolved, later circulated screenshots of private text messages and Messenger chats, along with a Facebook post, that it tied to Baum’s case. The page said it sent some of that material to the FBI, Indiana State Police, Gary Police, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
It is important to be precise here: those chats are allegations circulated by civilians online. They are not verified findings by investigators, and none of the claims within them have been confirmed by law enforcement.
The page also stressed that the “Pebbles” named in the screenshots is not its founder, Pebbles Wilson. According to the posts, the woman in the leaked profile was identified as Marcietta (Facebook display name “Marcietta Marcietta Marcietta”), also called Marcietta Banks and known as “Pebbles” to people who know her.
This article does not state or suggest that any named civilian committed a crime. Online allegations are not evidence, and until police or a court establish otherwise, such claims should be treated only as unproven allegations.
The Massachusetts Street Family Dollar Fire
A Family Dollar store on Massachusetts Street in Gary caught fire on October 17, 2024, and the blaze destroyed the store. The fire happened, and that much is established.
However, the cause of the fire has not been publicly announced as arson connected to Baum’s case. Linking the two events is not supported by any confirmed public finding, and this article treats them as separate unless officials say otherwise.
What Is Established and What Is Not
Established in news reporting and police comments
- Emma Baum was last seen October 10, 2024, after a drop-off near 25th Avenue and Connecticut Street in Gary, while nine months pregnant.
- Her family said she was already dilated days earlier.
- She had no working phone, and family said she was supposed to activate one that day.
- Her family reported her missing on October 28, 2024.
- News coverage reported her boyfriend was jailed on unrelated matters the following day.
- Police have searched a house, an apartment, recreational vehicles, and another property, with K9 assistance and interviews.
- No one has been charged in Emma Baum’s disappearance.
- A Family Dollar store on Massachusetts Street burned on October 17, 2024.
Not established
- It has not been established that Emma Baum is dead.
- It has not been established that she overdosed on any substance.
- It has not been established that she was trafficked.
- It has not been established that any named civilian killed her or hid her.
There is no official finding on any of these points. The case remains active and unsolved.
Why the Case Continues to Draw Attention
The stakes are what set this case apart. A heavily pregnant mother vanished along with her unborn child, and her family has kept searching, organizing volunteers, and appealing to the public. Relatives have also questioned why a Silver Alert was never issued, arguing that Emma’s pregnancy should have qualified her as a high-risk missing person.
On the one-year anniversary of her disappearance, family members and volunteers gathered near Gary City Hall, released balloons, and handed out flyers to keep her story in front of the public.
How to Submit a Tip
If you have any information about Emma Baum’s disappearance, no matter how small it may seem, contact the Gary Police Department:
- Gary Police Department: 219-881-1209
Even a minor detail could prove important to investigators and could help bring answers to a family still waiting.
Source Note
This article was cross-checked against reporting from Fox 32 Chicago, Fox News Digital, NBC Chicago, CBS Chicago, and public updates from the Gary Police Department. Where details were not confirmed in sourced reporting — such as the exact time of her disappearance or her last-seen clothing — that uncertainty is stated plainly. Claims circulating on social media are presented as unproven allegations, not as verified facts.